Final details have been released of the line up for the return of Keswick Mountain Festival (KMF) in May. Event organisers have added more speakers and activities to the programme, along with new accommodation options for visitors. The 2024 Keswick Mountain Festival will run from 17-19 May and tickets are available now.

The speaker schedule for this year’s Keswick Mountain Festival has been boosted by three extra evening Tent Talks, featuring former road race cyclist David Millar, round the world endurance cyclist Jenny Graham, and Polish climber Marta Misztal. The talks will be hosted in the KMF Festival Village on Crow Park, and anyone can book a place at them, whether heading to Keswick for the full festival, or making a visit for the sole purpose of attending a speaker session.

David Millar was an elite road cyclist who won multiple stages of grand tours and was British road race and time trial champion. He was banned for two years in 2004 for taking performance-enhancing drugs. After returning from his ban, Millar became an anti-doping campaigner and at 8:00pm on Friday 17 May, he will share his experiences at KMF, and explain how he rediscovered a love of cycling after he retired from competition.

From 6:00pm on Saturday 18 May, Jenny Graham will speak about her record breaking solo and unsupported ride around the planet, smashing the women’s record by nearly three weeks when she finished in 124 days and 11 hours. At 9:00pm the same evening, Marta Misztal will use her personal anecdotes and experience to dismantle the misconception that only the fittest people can reach the summit of Everest. Jenny Graham will also host two other Tent Talks during the festival – a ‘fireside chat’ with Chrissie Wellington about wellbeing and parkrun, and a session with Allie Bailey and Nicky Spinks. Along with the other Tent Talks, tickets for all three new sessions are available at https://keswickmountainfestival.co.uk/product-category/talks.

Meanwhile, there are still some tickets available for 3 Dads Walking, who will be appearing in the Theatre by the Lake at 8:30pm on Saturday 18 May. Their session will take place just over a week after they aim to complete their latest awareness and fundraising walk for suicide prevention charity PAPYRUS, in memory of their daughters Beth, Emily, and Sophie. The Walk of Hope will see Mike, Andy and Tim cover 500 miles on the eastern side of Scotland and England, linking newly opened PAPYRUS offices, in Stirling, Newcastle, Leeds, Hull and Norwich. The 3 Dads will talk about their most recent experience and ongoing campaigning, and sign copies of their new book.

This year’s KMF offers a very wide variety of guided activities, from running navigation, scrambling and kayaking, to stand up paddle yoga, running with poles, and beer tasting. The schedule runs for all three days, facilitated by qualified experts from Lakeland Mountain Guides, Newlands Adventure Centre, Mountain Run and Yoga Adventures. Activities can be booked in advance at https://keswickmountainfestival.co.uk/guided-activities. The beer tasting sessions will be held in partnership with Timothy Taylor’s, and led by senior brewer Tom Slack. They will take place at 12:00pm on Saturday 18 May as part of the Tent Talks, and in the Big Top marquee at 12:00pm on Sunday 19 May. The sessions will not be ticketed, and will run on a first come first served basis for a maximum of 100 attendees (aged 18 and over).

Places on the KMF sports and hiking events are selling fast at https://keswickmountainfestival.co.uk/sports-overview. This year, the hikes, Skiddaw Mountain Run and OPEN 5 Adventure Races are being sponsored by The North Face and Ellis Brigham.

Accommodation options at KMF have been enhanced for 2024 with the addition of campervan pitches at the official festival campsite - https://keswickmountainfestival.co.uk/camping. Visitors can also bring their own tents or hire a bell tent, and accessible camping is available.

The festival offers a range of ticketing options, giving visitors access to taster activities and live music on two stages in the Festival Village. The KMF Accessibility Zone has been designed to ensure that more people than ever are able to enjoy the full festival experience.

Full details of the 2024 Keswick Mountain Festival programme and how to book places are available at www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk. Find the event on Facebook or follow @keswickfestival on X and Instagram for the latest news and information.